Pour spouts for dispensing liquids are well known in the art. Such spouts can be commonly found in taverns and pubs where large amounts of liquor are dispensed from various sized bottles through the general course of business. During busy periods, a bar tender is often required to pour and mix drinks quickly in order to efficiently serve the patrons of the establishment. In addition to speed, accuracy is also important. It is undesirable that liquor is wasted through spillage or by dispensing excessive amounts of liquor into individual drinks. A pour spout inserted into the neck of a liquor bottle allows the fluid contents of the bottle to be poured out quickly and smoothly, in controlled manner. With a properly designed pour spout, the fluid contents of a bottle are dispensed in a narrow continuous stream, without the characteristic backing up of liquid in the throat of the bottle as is common when liquids are poured too quickly from bottles not fitted with a pour spout.
A typical pour spout including features common to most models is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,966,099 issued to Sanford, Jr. et al. There, a pour spout is disclosed including a lower portion which is insertable into the neck of a bottle; a vent tube; a spout; and a horizontal disc separating the lower insertable portion from the external spout portion. The lower insertable portion includes a plurality of resilient sealing fins which engage the internal surface of the bottle neck when the pour spout is inserted therein, forming a liquid tight seal which prevents fluid from leaking out of the bottle around the outer surfaces of the pour spout. A channel or bore is formed within the spout portion, and extends through the entire pour spout. Apertures at either end of the channel allow liquid to enter the lower portion of the pour spout inserted into the bottle neck, and be poured out through the aperture in the spout at the opposite end. The vent tube extends through the lower insertable portion of the pour spout and includes a second narrow bore. The second bore extends only as far as the horizontal surface of the disc, where a small aperture opens to the external environment surrounding the pour spot and bottle. When the contents of the bottle are to be poured out, the bottle is tipped from a vertical position toward a more horizontal orientation. The external spout portion is angled such that to pour the contents of the bottle, the bottle must be tipped in the same direction as the angle of the spout. This ensures that the fluid contents of the bottle will properly enter the pouring channel without requiring excessive tipping of the bottle. As the liquid is dispensed out of the bottle through the spout, the vent tube allows air to enter the bottle, equalizing the pressure within the bottle and preventing the contents of the bottle from backing up and pouring out in an uneven manner. While there have been innumerable variations to the basic design just described, these basic features are common to most, if not all, presently used beverage pour spouts.
As noted, pour spouts such as that disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,966,099 patent are typically used by taverns and pubs and other purveyors liquors and spirits. The bottles in which such pour spouts are most often inserted are bottles containing liquor of one kind or another, such as whiskey, gin, vodka, and others. Generally most liquor dispensing establishments will have an entire assortment of liquor bottles lined up behind the bar, each opened, and each having a pour spout inserted into the neck thereof. Thus, in the crush of business, a bar tender need only reach for a particular bottle and quickly pour a controlled volume of liquid into a glass in order to mix a particular drink requested by a patron. Having pour spouts in all of the bottles greatly increases the bar tender's efficiency, and cuts down on excess spillage and over filling of drinks.
The weight distribution in most conventional bottles is uneven along its length due to the liquid therein gravitating towards the bottom of the bottle (i.e. most bottles containing liquid are bottom-heavy). As such, when a user grasps and tilts the bottle to pour the liquid therefrom (grasping either the neck or body of the bottle), strain can result on the user's wrist, hand and back as the user bears the weight of the bottle and subsequently manages its weight redistribution as the liquid shifts during the pour. Furthermore, dimly lit taverns make it difficult to identify the bottle, and a misidentification of the bottle may result in the drink being improperly prepared. Lastly, different sized bottles makes it difficult to quickly and efficiently grasp the correct bottle and dispense the drinks properly. Still further, many conventional bottles have short necks and/or large diameters making them inconvenient to grasp and pour with one hand, and further exacerbating the strain placed on a user's wrist, hand and back.
Additionally, conventional bottles do not have a standard size, but rather come in many different shapes, sizes and configurations. As such, in a setting such as a bar where multiple bottles are lined up next to each other, the height at which a user must grasp each bottle varies. Because of this, selecting the correct bottle and securely grasping the same without knocking the adjacent bottles over takes valuable time and results in an inefficient process.
What is needed is a device which can be coupled with the neck of a fluid containing vessel that facilitates a user's grasp of the bottle while allowing the liquid contents of the vessel to be poured in a smooth and controlled manner. Furthermore, such a device should be easily manufactured and inexpensive to produce. Preferably, the device should be made of plastic by injection molding. Additionally, a system is needed for standardizing the grip component and height thereof when a variety of bottles are positioned adjacent to one another, such as in a bar or restaurant setting.